The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-10-14
Workers IN CRYSTAL.
THE BLowtNa or GLASS AND now
1T Is DONE.

Though the wages or remuneration
In glass blowing are very high, the in
dustry is not popular. Its unpopular
ity 10 no more than natural, the labor
being severe and exhausting, the pain
and discomfort great, and the health.
fulness being unpleasantly small TO
those engaged. 1t has a characteristic
disease--the glass blowers cheek
just a. the white lead and quicksilver
industries have their specific ills.
From long continued blowing, the
cheeks, at first muscular, grow thin
and lose their elasticity; they then be-
gin to hang down like inverted pock-
cts and finally grow absolutely unus-
able. 1t is matter Of record both
here and in Europe that glass oper.
atives haye blown holes through their
checks, bat no living curiosity of this
sort can be found at the present time.
Glass making, though requiring great
skill and dexterity, is very simple
business A large and well built fur
mace in which an incense heat can be
secured and maintained for a long
time; crucibles or melting pots that
will withstand high temperature,
corrosion, and wear and tear; sand,
lime soda, aud occasionally other in,
gradients for the raw materials are the
main features of every establishment
The sand, lime and soda, pure as ART
can make them without throwing
away too much money, are shoveled OF
rather ladled into the melting pots
With them are thrown the broken
glass and the fragments and splinters
made by carelessness or necessity
The pits and the interior of the fur
mace around them are white heat, &c
hot a. to pain the eyes of the specta
tor who looks at them through the
embrazures of the wall. The fresh
material slowly dissolves and ere long
looks like curious hybrid of molten
metal and red hot water. A workman
half naked and covered with perspir
alton advances to the very edge of the
furnace and through the embrazurt
plunges hollow steel rod into the pot
The end that enters the liquid is oover
ed with the fiery pasty fluid, which ad.
heres to the metal. As it is withdrawn
the glass runs down and forms pear.
shaped form about the end. A SEQ
ond workman, who stands on q plat
form raised above the the ground, re-
ceives the rod and applying the colo
end to his lips blows in almost exactly
the same manner as does a boy who il
trying to make a particularly larg,
soap-bubble. The glass behaves like
the bubble, but with far less celerity
1t grows into hollow ball. II woult
elongste and fall off the rod if left u
itself, but the operative, by hundred
skillful movements, now twirling tht
tube and now swinging it over his
head, causes it to retain any form h'
desires, whether round, ovoid, or cylin
drical.
If . bottle be his aim, the heated
globule is placed in mould and ther
blown until its surface fits the sides
If cell for an eleoric battery, q de
canter, or demijohn, other mould
are brought forth and employed. 1
common window glass is 70 be pro
duced, the workman keeps alternatel,
blowing and rolling the globe agains
. fiat surface. In few moments th'
tube ends in long glass cylinder will
rounded ends. A simple breakage, b,
Q hot iron and cold water or by q dia
mond soon removes the two ends an
leaves crystal cylinder. Anothe
line Of full length and the cylinder re
sembles sheet of writing paper hal
rolled. Through heat it gradually Ut
rolls and forms fat sheet. Ere it i
cold, it, with many others, goes to tn
annealing furnace, where it slowl
cools, until after several days it
thoroughly cold and tempered.
Besides the great furnaces are littl
ones. called for no earthly reason in
sginable, "glory holes" These ar
tall, upright ovens something like tn
parl0r denominations of New YOr
Aat. An aperture high up emits
glare of fierce heat and light. Throug
this opening the workman does sue
work as finishing the mouths of bo
ties and reheating small chilled e,
tremities of his job.
The men around these minatui
sheols look strong, but not healthy
Their skin is dry and yellow when {
rest, and flushed and wet when worl
ing. Here and there is heard ooug
natures vain protest against the te
rife strain upon the respiratory organ
aod the prophetic sound of the GO
sumption which awaits nearly all Il
men who crowd the place.